Why is it that humans are attracted to babies and baby animals?

Question

I heard from someone that it's hard-wired into our brains to be attracted to animals with comparatively large eyes because they seem vulnerable and need protection. Is that true, that we're just hard-wired to protect babies as an evolutionary thing, or are there other theories? Obviously, it's important we feel like we need to protect our own young, but then why do we feel so attracted to kittens and puppies?

Answer 1

Yes, it is true. Humans somehow are attracted to things with Larger heads than the body (Which is seen in babies since the brain doesn't actually grow in size in a lifetime, but the body does), and large eyes. This psychological kind of principal can be seen in cartoons, specifically stuff like Loony Tunes. The cute animals all seem to have large heads to body ratio, large eyes, pupils and stuff. However, I don't know anything about theories or why this occurs, sorry.

Answer 2

with the human capacity to kill, it's a good thing there exists this natural barrier which protects baby-anythings from us.  Otherwise, we'd render ourselves extinct as well as everything else on this planet.

Answer 3

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Because we are so "cute."

Answer 4

Your information is correct. The ethologist Konrad Lorenz argued in 1949 that infantile features triggered nurturing responses in adults and that this was an evolutionary adaptation which helped ensure that adults would care for their offspring, ultimately securing the survival of the species. As evidence, Lorenz noted that humans react more positively to animals that resemble infants—with big eyes, big heads, shortened noses, etc.— such as Pandas or koalas, than to animals that do not.

It is also helpful to avoid other species from attacking your offspring, since many non carnivores will recognize a puppy as non threatening.

It has also been argued as the starting point to domestication of dogs and cats not for their usefulness at hunting but for the "cuteness" of their puppies.

You can check cuteness (Konrad´s original concept) and neoteny and pedomorphosis.

Answer 5

Well I am a human (probably ) and I am not attracted to babies at all .....